David Robson: A little work now means more green next spring

Saturday

Take care of these tasks now before it gets too cold and icy and you'll be rewarded.

The day after Thanksgiving is typically the end of the garden season. By now, most garden chores should be gearing down while we’re gearing up for the approaching holidays.

But there are still a few chores left.

1. This weekend is the perfect time to apply a winterizer fertilizer. While it sounds like a broken record — or, for those who have little knowledge of vinyl records, a digital video clip jumping back and forth — winterizers can be one of the most important and least expensive ways you can create a thicker, greener lawn.

Granted, the thicker and greener the turf, the more likely it is you will have to mow often. But, you will the envy of everyone driving by who will wonder what you are doing to make your lawn so green and thick in early spring.

Winterizers are slow-release fertilizers, providing nitrogen bit by bit over the winter.
While it’s too cold for the shoots to grow, the roots still function as long as the ground isn’t frozen, absorbing that nitrogen and storing it for use as soon as the weather starts warming in March.

The slow-release aspect is crucial. You don’t want the grass to start growing now, when the potential for winterkill is high. Slow-release fertilizers are also less susceptible to leaching through the soil with winter snow melts and rains.

Most slow-release fertilizers are balanced, meaning they provide phosphorus and potassium at the same time, and usually at close to the same percentages as the nitrogen.

While most lawns don’t really need the phosphorus and potassium, the extra amount doesn’t harm the plants or leach through the soil. You need both if you consistently bag your grass clippings and remove the leaves when they fall.

The phosphorus will help encourage root growth while the potassium can improve winter hardiness and overall hardiness of the turf.

Many lawn-care companies offer the winterizer service. You can also find bags at most garden centers, home improvement stores and big-box stores. Make sure the bag says it’s a lawn winterizer.

Follow the directions on the package. Don’t think that applying more fertilizer will make a thicker and greener grass. Manufacturers have figured out just how much you need without causing environmental problems.

2. While you’ve just fertilized your lawn, don’t forget that it needs one last good watering. Rain this week was beneficial, but the plants really need a long, deep, slow soaking.

You might have to leave the sprinkler on all day, moving it from location to location. If you can water most of your yard at one time with the sprinkler, keep the water flowing for at least two hours. It may seem like too much, but it will soak the ground at least 12 inches, which is necessary for the lawn, trees and shrubs.

3. Once you’re done watering, drain the garden hose thoroughly for the winter.

The easiest way to do this is to unroll the hose and lay it on the ground. Starting at one end, lift the hose over your head and slowly walk toward the other end, allowing the water to drain out the other end.

Once the hose is drained, coil it back up. Move the hose into the garage for the winter to prevent freezing damage.

There are differences of opinions over draining drip irrigation and soaker hoses. In most cases, the water has soaked out of the hoses, and there isn’t any need to drain them.

Just in case, lift up the last six feet of the cap end furthest from the faucet and see if any water flows out. If it does, drain the hose completely. If no water flows, you should be OK.

4. Garden pots are one of the toughest calls for winterizing.

Some are made of high-quality clay and fired to a high temperature so the pots won’t absorb moisture during the winter and won’t break. Other pots — you can usually tell by the thinness of their walls and their inexpensive prices — will absorb the tiniest amount of water and shatter when the temperature hits 31 degrees.

Even the best pots can break in two cases:

If the pot is filled with soil that becomes waterlogged. If the soil freezes, like a bottle in the freezer, the expanding water will crack the pot.
We have lots of snow and ice.

If you have pots with soils, consider covering the top to keep them dry, fluffing up the soil with a trowel first. For empty pots, either cover them or turn them upside down so they don’t fill with snow and ice.

5. Finally, check the garage for any last bulb you haven’t planted. They need to be planted NOW to ensure flowering next spring.

For more gardening information or for your local extension unit office, go to
www.extension.uiuc.edu/mg.

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